Solved Helix Framework

404 - The GD extension for PHP is not available.

Asked by DigitM 10 months ago Last activity 8 months ago

Hello, I have several websites running on Joomla 5.4.1 with the Shaper_helix3 template that have been returning 404 errors for the past week with the message “The GD extension for PHP is not available.”
What is happening and how can I fix the error?
Thank you for your help.
Jack

Accepted answer

Marked as the solution

Ofi Khan Staff

8 months ago

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3 more replies

Torsten.S

10 months ago · edited

This message does not actually come from Joomla.
It comes from Helix3 (or SP Page Builder) when it tries to load images, resize thumbnails, or process CSS/JS and the required PHP extension GD is missing or disabled.

Many hosting providers recently upgraded PHP (often to PHP 8.2 or 8.3).

During the upgrade, the GD extension was not compiled or was disabled.

Helix3 is old and not fully compatible with PHP 8.2/8.3, so the missing GD triggers a 404-style error page.
In Joomla admin, go to:
System > System Information > PHP Information

Search for GD.

If GD is missing, you’ve found the cause.
Enable GD in Your Hosting Control Panel

Depending on your host:
cPanel

Go to Select PHP Version or MultiPHP Manager

Find Extensions

Check the box gd (or php-gd)

Save / Apply

Plesk

Tools & Settings > PHP Settings

Select your PHP version

Enable gd under Extensions

Save

DirectAdmin

PHP Settings > Extensions

Enable gd

If GD is not listed, contact your host and ask them to recompile PHP with GD support.

Helix3 is deprecated and does not officially support Joomla 5.
If you forced it to work, this error is a symptom of incompatibility.

Consider switching to:

Helix Ultimate 2

Another Joomla 5–compatible template

If staying on Helix3 is required, ensure your Helix3 version is the latest (2.5.7).

Ofi Khan Staff

10 months ago

Hello DigitM,

Thank you for reaching out to our technical support forum. I’m sorry to hear about the trouble you’re experiencing.

Please enable GD Extensions for PHP on your server. Ask your hosting support and they will enable it for you. Hopefully, it will be okay after enabling the extension.

Best regards

DigitM Asked this

8 months ago

ok, all is ok thx